If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! – Proverbs 30:32

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 23, 2013): Proverbs 30

Terrorists, whenever they commit their atrocities, seem to rush to take responsibility for their actions. They seem to want us to know two things; first, that the action that has been undertaken was by this group. And you almost get the feeling that somewhere this act of terrorism is being used to recruit more members to their banner and their cause. The second reason is that so somehow we will attach the act of terror to their cause. 

And it is the second reason that fails spectacularly in Western culture. If we were to talk about the various terrorist acts that have been committed over the western world in this century alone, very few could attribute the cause or the banner that the act was committed under. We know who did, but we really do not understand the why. There is a significant gap in communication. And possibly more significantly, the stain of the act has been transferred from the group to the God (if there is one) being represented. In the west, we are more likely to see the terrorism of the Islamic extremists to be acts that are derivative from the God (Allah) and the Prophet (Mohammad) that is being served. The stain has been transferred, from us to God.

But it is not just our Islamic brothers and sisters that have succeeded at this. For years, the Irish civil war has cast a stain on the Catholic and Protestant God that they serve (although the cause of Irish independence is a little clearer.) In years past, atrocities have been committed in the name of the Jewish and Christian God (Jehovah) that have really done nothing but cast a stain on his character. And today, every time someone speaks hatred against a people group or threatens to burn the Qur’an in the name of that God, all that they do is cast a stain on Jehovah’s name and on his character.

So this proverb warns us of exactly that. Be careful when you do your acts of foolishness. Do not say that you do this or that in the name of the God you serve, because so much of what we do is evil. Rather, stay quiet, taking responsibility for the action and trying to improve the next time. But we need to understand how often we do foolish and evil things.

Maybe our attitude should be this. If through my action good has been done and others have been lifted up, then God has been served and all of the credit goes to him. But, if evil has been committed, if I have been lifted up and others have been torn down, if the motive behind the action is not love, then the blame rests totally with me. I will not open my mouth to excuse it, but with the power of God I will endeavor to do better in the future.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31